Temporary Balloon Occlusion of the Cavernous Carotid Artery for Removal of an Orbital and Intracranial Foreign Body: Case Report

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: We describe the first reported use of temporary balloon occlusion of the cavernous internal carotid artery for controlled removal of a foreign object from the cavernous sinus. This endovascular approach may be an alternative to craniotomy in highly selected cases. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 34-year-old incarcerated male attempted suicide by stabbing the earpiece of his glasses through his right orbit into the intracranial compartment. He presented with complete ophthalmoplegia. The earpiece traversed the cavernous sinus, penetrating its posterior wall to enter the perimesencephalic cistern and cerebellum. Angiography demonstrated a small direct carotid-cavernous fistula. INTERVENTION: Removal of the foreign body was performed under general anesthesia in the angiography suite with the operating room on standby. Nondetachable and detachable balloons were inflated in the cavernous carotid artery to provide vascular control while the foreign body was withdrawn from the cranium at the orbit. Follow-up angiographic runs with the balloons deflated revealed minimal arteriovenous shunting, which disappeared on subsequent studies. The balloons were removed. The patient remained neurologically stable with his baseline right ophthalmoplegia and V1–V2 hemianesthesia. At the 6-week follow-up, the patient remained clinically stable with no evidence of carotid-cavernous fistula or interval abscess formation. CONCLUSION: Endovascular temporary balloon occlusion of the cavernous carotid artery provides immediate control of the vessel (with an option of permanent carotid sacrifice), allowing removal of a foreign body without craniotomy in appropriate cases.